Fit and ‘very active’ hiker diagnosed with rare breast cancer at 37 after doctor said lump was ‘nothing to worry about’
Rasa Stonyte had no symptoms besides a lump when she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer aged 37.
A healthy and “very active” woman whose only symptom was a lump before she was diagnosed with a rare breast cancer aged 37 said she wants to show others “there is life after cancer”.
Rasa Stonyte, 38, an international relocation manager living in Flintshire in Wales, first noticed the lump on the side of her left breast in mid-February 2025.
A GP on March 4 said it was likely “nothing to worry about”, so she went to a follow-up ultrasound appointment at Glan Clwyd Hospital three weeks later and had a biopsy that same day.
On April 1, Rasa said she was “shocked” to be told she had triple-negative invasive metaplastic ductal carcinoma with squamous differentiation – a rare and aggressive subtype that accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers.
Two weeks later, Rasa said she had six months of “horrible” immunotherapy and chemotherapy, including the “very potent” doxorubicin chemo drug that is nicknamed The Red Devil.
She then had a double mastectomy in October 2025 after genetic testing during her treatment confirmed she was a carrier of the BRCA1 gene mutation, meaning she has an increased risk of several cancers.
Rasa said she now has “no evidence of disease” and she credits medical professionals – including the nurses at the Glan Clwyd Hospital and cancer centre, who she described as “absolute angels” – as well as keeping physically active.
She also had the support of her fiance, William McManus, 47, and her parents, who flew from Lithuania to help care for her, throughout her treatment.
“The reality is, I’m not strong, I’m not special and I’m not different to anyone else,” Rasa told PA Real Life.
“I just didn’t have a choice and every cancer patient will say exactly the same – if we want to live, there is no real other choice.
“But I want to show that there is life after cancer and it can be a really beautiful life.”
Rasa said she has always been active and “very outdoorsy”, including mountain climbing with her partner William and their two Hungarian vizslas.
Noting a history of breast cancer with her paternal grandmother, Rasa understood the importance of regular screenings and a routine scan around five years ago identified lumps that turned out to be benign and later cleared up.
So when Rasa said she noticed another lump on the side of her left breast that seemed to “come out of the blue” in mid-February 2025, she did not think it was anything to worry about.
After a GP referred her on March 4 for an ultrasound three weeks later, Rasa said it was a “huge shock” for a nurse to also urge her to have a biopsy that same day.
Rasa said: “My expectation was that everything was fine, so that started ringing alarm bells and I panicked because I have an extreme injection phobia.
“The nurse tried to calm me down and we had a very long chat where she convinced me that I should get that biopsy done.
“And thank goodness she did because I think if I left the hospital, I’m not sure I would have returned back because the anxiety around injections was always a huge issue.”
On April 1, Rasa received the biopsy results, with William by her side. Her oncologist said: “I’m really sorry, but it’s cancer.”
As it was April Fools’ Day, Rasa said her immediate first thought was, “Is that a joke?”
She said she burst into a “flood of tears” and everything became a “blur”, before William asked follow-up questions about the diagnosis, prognosis and next steps.
Within two weeks of her diagnosis, Rasa said she started a three-month course of chemotherapy which was “very stressful” due to her fear of needles and she experienced side effects of fatigue, dizziness and hair loss.
Rasa said she also had “absolutely horrible” self-administered immunotherapy injections that gave her “shooting pains” throughout her body for days afterwards.
“The worst came when I had the Red Devil because it is very potent and knocked me out for weeks on end,” Rasa said, of the second round of chemotherapy for three more months.
“I was extremely fatigued, I had mouth ulcers and all of my hair – including eyelashes and eyebrows – fell out.
“It’s very difficult to describe the feeling, but it was as if everything inside of me was dying.”
By the end of this six months’ worth of cancer treatment, genetic testing revealed Rasa had the BRCA1 gene mutation so she decided to have a double mastectomy on October 23 to reduce the chance of recurrence.
She opted for no breast reconstruction surgery because she said she wanted to “get back” to her normal life “as soon as possible” and she was worried about complications.
“Having implants would have been a very long and painful journey,” Rasa said.
“I’m very happy with my decision; I feel a sense of freedom now that I’m flat.”
In the aftermath of this surgery, Rasa said it was a “good day” to be told in early November 2025 that there was no evidence of disease.
“I’m really happy and I’m very grateful,” she said.
“I live a better life than I did before, but there’s no end to my worry and I don’t think there ever will be.”
To improve her chances of survival, Rasa said it is important for her to stay active by walking her dogs and climbing mountains, even if she still experiences bone pain from her cancer treatment.
“I feel free, happy and strong when I’m hiking,” Rasa said.
“Since it helps me mentally, it automatically helps me physically. And I definitely feel more alive when I’m outdoors.”
Dr Sophie Ketchen, director of research and charitable impact at Breast Cancer UK, told PA Real Life: “Studies show that people who are the most physically active after a breast cancer diagnosis have a 30-40% lower risk of dying from the disease than those who are least physically active.
“Some evidence also suggests that physical activity may reduce the risk of recurrence, demonstrating the importance of trying to be physically active if you can after receiving a diagnosis.”
Rasa said it is important to share her story to help spread awareness about breast cancer.
“When I started talking about all this on social media, a (former colleague) reached out to me and said that I was the reason why she checked herself and got diagnosed with breast cancer,” she said.
“I just want to show other people who have been diagnosed that there is life after cancer.”
To find out more about how you can reduce your risk, and create your own personalised prevention plan, take Breast Cancer UK’s Prevention Quiz: breastcanceruk.org.uk/take-our-quiz/.